Review on 📷 Foscam FI8918W Wireless/Wired Pan & Tilt IP/Network Camera: Night Vision, 3.6mm Lens, and 67° Viewing Angle by Stephen Parkell

ordered two of these on Amazon Prime. both arrived on time as before, with boxes wrapped in a piece of cardboard inside a large box. Everything looked fairly new, although nothing had been sealed. I don't know if they were originally sealed. I turn on camera 1, I can't bring up the camera control panel. it still rejects the factory default password. After several tries I tried a full camera reset and lo and behold it works. which makes me strongly suspect that someone before me couldn't get this thing to work so they sent it back and Amazon/this seller sold me the item in an open box. Since I bought two, the rather cryptic instructions on the disc (not the manual) told me to download the multi-camera app, which I did. However, this app was buggy and I couldn't add regions or cameras to the view, rendering it unusable. On a whim I spent some time on the internet until I found and downloaded updates for this multi camera app as well as the single camera control panel. all of a sudden it worked. not easy or intuitive but after a lot of trial and error I was able to see what was on the first camera. Install the second camera and I had the same problem as the first camera. Hard reset also works. Peach. I can now see everything on my network on both desktop and mobile apps. score.drive to work the next day and I try to use the camera app but it doesn't work. If you search the web more, everyone (Foscam support forum, camera manual, multi-camera application manual, Foscam recommended port forwarding website, etc.) has a different story: use port forwarding; use port 80; do not use port 80; use port 8090; use port 88; use port 85; use progressively higher port numbers for additional cameras; Use DDNS; open a demilitarized zone; use UPnP; open ports on multiple routers; use internal IP addresses; Use myfoscam DDNS URLs; use external IP addresses; etc. yes I have tried literally everything. hours of my life. wasted.i called foscam tech support and ended up in a queue. 15 minutes later, a technician is using remote software to manage my desktop. it does all of the above, fails, and says it's my ISP's problem. Time Warner is probably blocking those specific ports somehow. =/ I said "Fuck it, put both cameras back in the box to sell to another poor fool and asked Amazon for a refund. Please note that we also have a summer kids internet camera surveillance system which was literally plug and play. No problem, I can see everything at once, both on and off my network. to the poor fool who gets these cameras when inevitably they are sold again as new. sorry, Buddy, I didn't bother to do a hard reset before putting them in the box.